A decade ago it first became possible for individuals in the UK to donate a kidney to someone they did not know, and had never met - this form of living donation is known as non-directed altruistic donation.

The HTA licenses a number of activities relating to human tissue. We are also responsible for carrying out inspections to ensure licence conditions are being met. These activities are laid out in the Human Tissue Act and associated Regulations.

The Human Tissue Act covers primarily England, Wales and Northern Ireland; only section 45 and schedule 4 of the Human Tissue Act include Scotland. There is separate legislation in Scotland – the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006 – and the HTA performs certain tasks on behalf of the Scottish...